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Old, Dark Road

This is the thread for the Feng Shui scenario that will be run in chat.

Overview
Feng Shui comes with a standard setting, known as the Secret War. In it, time-traveling factions fight to control the fortunes of the world by attuning themselves to feng shui sites. With enough of them under a faction's control, both the past and the future can be rewritten. We will be borrowing liberally from the default setting, but will not be using it in its entirety.

Here are the elements that are being kept:

a secret war with covert factions

chi as a measure of a person's spiritual energy

feng shui sites that govern the world's fortune

kung fu powered by chi

magic

other worlds populated by spirits and monsters, and connections to and from those worlds

pockets of super-science and advanced technology

sentient races besides humans

Here are the elements that have been changed or discarded:

Feng shui cannot be used to rewrite the past.

The cosmology of the universe has a greater emphasis on Japanese elements, a slightly lessened emphasis on Chinese elements, and any elements that are neither Chinese nor Japanese have been greatly de-emphasized. This is referring to beliefs as they existed in those countries, and not to wherever the origin of those beliefs lie.

The identities of the specific factions have changed.

The nature of the other worlds has changed.

Time travel doesn't exist.

Cosmology and Natural Laws
Supernatural forces exist in the world, and the methods to control them that are regular and repeatable are best explained with models adapted from Buddhism, Shintoism, and Taoism. While it is possible for individuals to harbor any sort of belief: for example a Buddhist who rejects Shintoism and Taoism, or a person of some other faith who rejects all of them, anyone who uses magic and spells or attempts to cogently explain supernatural phenomena is at least borrowing the practice of three interrelated systems. All of these models naturally represent esoteric versions of the beliefs in question.

Instead of spending a great deal of time discussing the features of each belief system separately, what follows is a short list of points from the perspective of most untrained PCs.

There are monsters; some are physical and some are intangible; some are mindless, and others are highly intelligent and versed in human ways.

Chi is a vital force of nature that influences personal fortune and world events.

Chi is like a liquid that can pool up in places or collect in living things.

The study of the flow of chi is known as feng shui.

Kung fu, more properly meaning an acquired skill, is used in the context of game mechanics to describe supernatural results obtained from the combination martial arts and chi.

Magic exists, and "overt" magical effects such as throwing fireballs or turning people into toads can arise from Buddhist chants, Shinto prayers, Taoist spells, or most usually, some combination of the three, but only when performed with purpose by a knowledgeable practitioner. No one can "accidentally" cast such a spell, say, by reading some Buddhist sutra.

However, some items infused by magic can be used by anyone. For example, a bullet inscribed with Buddhist sutras could do significant damage to a demon even if shot by a non-believer.

One particularly important effect of magic is the transposition of a volume into an unpopulated pocket dimension, with terrain and structures still resembling the outside world. Battles fought inside them will go unnoticed in the outside world. When the spell's duration ends, depending on the will of the caster, the damage to the contents may be repaired, or it may be reflected by the world at large.

While all three religions, especially Buddhism, are supposed to be benevolent to varying degrees, spells arising from them may be perverted to evil or violent ends.

Sometimes people show up with technology that looks like it shouldn't be possible to develop, or is way ahead of what should be currently known.

While it's not always the case, bullets tend to do a good job of hurting just about anything. So do fists.

Depending on their background, individual PCs may have more or less insight into the world model.

Influences
A number of series that portray contemporary fantasy or magical realism were inspiring to me when I considered this scenario.

Blood C - While it is primarily a vampire story, it presents a broad range of supernatural species. The way those species are depicted in a contemporary setting is what I am taking as my influence. The older and unrelated Vampire Princess Miyu series offers a similar influence, but one that is much less current.

Durarara!! - Day-to-day interactions of a number of unusual people in Ikebukuro, a district of Tokyo, is described in the style of magical realism. It provides a valuable sample "ecology" of coexistence between magical and non-magical forces in the information age.

Fate/Zero - Guns, magic, and kung fu, as well as costumed superheroes and Lovecraftian horrors, all show up in a seven-sided "secret war" between magical factions. It sounds colorful, but is a rather grim story.

Red Data Girl - Like Fate/Zero, RDG provides another view of a "secret war," but one where the main characters have at best a partial knowledge of the factions and stakes. This is close to the PCs' situation in the current scenario.

Shakugan no Shana - The "Power of Existence" in the setting captures very well what feng shui site manipulation might be capable of. The barriers depicted in the series present the idea that the effects of a battle within might be repaired or manifest in different ways.

Steins;Gate - There's no magic in Steins;Gate, but it's filled with super-science and conspiracy.

Tokyo Babylon - Modern-day onmyouji practice their craft in Japan.

Touhou Project - Although the setting, theme, and atmosphere differ considerably from what we're aiming for here, Touhou presents a viable model for the interaction of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Taoism in a single cosmology.

X - A full-scale battle occurs over the story's equivalent of feng-shui sites in order to determine the ultimate future of Earth. The barriers used in X create an unpopulated analogue to the volume they cover.

Character Creation
Character creation begins with the selection of archetypes, blueprints for the type of character you will be playing. There are many archetypes in the game, but because the normal setting involves multiple time periods, not all of them are appropriate for this adventure. Fifty archetypes are available to be chosen. No comments are given for archetypes that are wholly self-explanatory.

Abomination - You are a supernatural monster who was captured and altered by super-science. You must have a human appearance that allows you to remain undetected in normal society whether or not that is your true form. You have since escaped from your captors.

Apprentice - You have only spent a few years in your discipline, either learning martial arts or magic, but you know you're ready.

Avenger - You have taken it on yourself to become a vigilante for justice.

Big Bruiser - You can dish out punishment, but more importantly, you can take it.

Bodyguard - You might be a hired mercenary or the family butler.

Bounty Hunter - Your targets are not necessarily human.

Contemporary Ninja - Who needs traditional training when you have super-science? You're on the run from your former masters.

Cyborg - You were an unwilling test subject. You may be on the run from the people who did this to you, or engaged in hunting them down. They might already be dead at your hands.

Dabbler - Your interest in esoterica has led you to one or two truths, and a whole lot of danger.

Demon Martial Artist - Demon, devil, vampire, youkai, whatever the name, you're not human, though you can pass for one. Your days of training in martial arts has given you a sympathy for humans that your kind generally does not possess.

Deep Cover Cop - The mission succeeded all too well. Now that you've discovered things that weren't meant to be known, you might not be able to go back.

Drifter - You travel from place to place, with a knack for showing up when you're needed.

Everyman Hero - You're a regular fellow who always manages to get in too deep.

Ex-Special Forces

Fallen Journalist - You have become more addicted to following the game than reporting on it.

Former Smuggler

Former Spy

Fortuneteller - You have long been aware of the flow of chi in the world.

Gambler - You may have stumbled across the existence of chi if you've ever noticed that your talent at gambling has always stemmed from your luck, not your skill.

Ghost - You are a preta condemned to wander the Earth as punishment for your worldly desires until you attain enlightenment or die yet again.

Martial Artist - You're not yet a master, but you're no mere disciple.

Maverick Cop - You lost the rulebook at the academy graduation ceremony. Your ability to obtain results from the most unlikely leads has allowed you to keep your job.

Militant - You're not just an ideologue; you are very well-armed.

Militant Medic - You aren't above killing a few scumbags to save a life.

Modern Onmyouji - Today's lucky item is a Glock. You are a practitioner of ancient secrets, but you left yourself enough spare time to learn a few of the nuances of today's society.

Ninja - You prefer to call yourself a shinobi. You prefer that your victims don't call you anything at all. You were certainly trained in the traditions passed down by the old ninja clans, though whether you are involved with them directly is up to you.

Old Master - You are a master of internal chi flow, though it took many long years for you to reach that point.

Onmyouji - You are a Taoist geomancer, a master of divination, summoning, and plain old fireballs.

Private Investigator

Reformed Gangster

Reformed Thief - It's not as though you've given up thievery. You've just become more discriminating about your targets.

Rogue Agent - You got close to the truth before they realized you were curious. The company thinks you're dead. At least you hope so.

Runaway Monster Hunter - Back when you were kidnapping things for the lab, it didn't much matter what was done to them. Then you were ordered to start kidnapping people.

Saboteur - You know how to fix things mainly because it helps you learn how to break them.

Subversive - You are a low-level employee or member of an organization that's up to no good. You haven't risen to the point where you have access to any dirt on them, but you've also maintained a spotless record in their eyes.

Supernatural Creature - Unlike your kindred, you are friend of humanity, if not exactly friendly, per se. You can pass for human or have a power that lets you appear as human.

Supernatural Cop - You are a monster working as a police officer.

Supersoldier Deserter - You were given equipment that surpassed anything you'd ever seen before, but you only have one or two items left. The shiny toys weren't worth continuing on as a guinea pig.

Techie - You've never been directly involved with the world's super-science, but you'd sure love to be.

Two-fisted Researcher - You've found enough traces of the supernatural in your work, and enough hints that other people know about them, to realize you need to be good at fighting.

Virtuous Thug - Once an outcast dwelling on the margins of society, you have come to realize a higher calling.

Yamabushi - Maybe you were once a salaryman. You left it all to become a mountain ascetic practicing a syncretic mix of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Taoism.

Youkai - Maybe you are a particularly wise and long-lived specimen, or maybe you are the reincarnation of an enlightened sage. Either way, you are an animal transformed into a human.

Once you've picked an archetype, if you're already familiar with the rules concerning the archetype, you may go ahead with character creation. Otherwise, contact me, and I will discuss the next the steps with you. They will involve finalizing your primary attributes, secondary attributes, skills, schticks, and equipment. After that, you can work on your character's description, background, and relation to the scenario.

Regardless of your character's background and native language, all PCs will be passably fluent in Cantonese, English, Hokkien, Japanese, and Mandarin, and literate in Chinese, English, and Japanese.

Setting (Edit: December 17th, 2014 - Information in this section applies to the first adventure, "Bad Medicine." Information pertaining to the second adventure, "Wings Over Rokkasho, will be found starting on post #25 of this thread.)

The game will begin on July 6, 2013, in the city of Kasugai, in Yamanashi, Japan. The PCs themselves may be from anywhere. Kasugai is on the main island of Honshu, in a mountainous inland region north of Mount Fuji. A large river, the Sakaigawa, divides the southeastern district from the rest of the city.

There is an NPC in this scenario who will serve as a patron of sorts for the PCs. The PCs can be his relatives, friends, or people he's hired, but in any case, they are all here at his behest.

Name: Yanagi Noboru
Age: 37
Profession: occult author and practicing onmyouji
Notes: Yanagi Noboru was one of the principles in an incident three years ago that was reported in the media as the "Onmyouji-Gangster War." After a public conflict between him and Gyokutou Masaki, a celebrity onmyouji with reported connections to the yakuza, Yanagi's home was destroyed by arson and he was a victim of a drive-by shooting, though the shooter missed. Gyokutou is currently under investigation for his underworld dealings, but no charges have been filed against him. Yanagi lives in Chiba, but will be staying in a hotel on the outskirts of Kasugai for the duration of the adventure.

As the scenario is set in Japan, all Japanese names presented will be in the traditional order of family name first, followed by given name, so Yanagi Noboru is Noboru from the Yanagi family. In formal or polite settings, when only one name is given, it tends to be the family name, in this case, Yanagi. Also, Japanese has many words that contain a long o sound. This will be depicted as ou, as in Gyokutou or Touhou. Exceptions will be made for words commonly shown with alternate spellings. Thus, the metropolis of Toukyou will continue to be spelled Tokyo.

The adventure is not about playing tourist. Although small, Kasugai is a contemporary city with modern amenities. PCs will generally be able to find their way around and effectively use public services.

Feng Shui House Rules

Automatic Weapons Fire - Attacking Unnamed Characters
In the rules as written, automatic fire is useless against unnamed characters. To correct that, for every nine bullets fired, the shooter gains a +1 to their AV against an unnamed character. The number of bullets fired must be specified in advance. For some of the rare fully-automatic weapons that have less than nine bullets, the shooter gains a +1 to their AV if they choose to empty the weapon at the unnamed opponent.

Called Shots and Stunts - Disabling Named Characters
Some called shots have the effect of practically rendering an opponent unable to fight, or possibly killing them outright. When using this to fight a named character, the following rules apply:

The player must specifically declare that the character is using a called shot to achieve such an effect. Players may freely describe all manner of attacks without making such a declaration; in such cases this is assumed to be colorful narrative, and entails no unusual penalty or benefit.

A called attack that can render an enemy at a significant and/or ongoing disadvantage is made at an AV of -5 or more.

An attack that will leave an enemy unable to fight is made at an AV of -8 or more.

An attack whose purpose is to do extra damage is made at an AV of -1 per 2 points of extra damage, rounded up, i.e. an attack that does 5 extra damage is made at an AV of -3.

Attacks with lethal effects cannot be made against named characters; any lethal effect is modeled using damage alone. I.e. an attack that involves shooting an enemy through the head to kill them instantly is a normal attack that results in a head shot if and only if it does enough damage to force a death check which the opponent then fails.

Using any of the above types of shots or stunts on named NPCs allows such NPCs to use them on PCs in turn. However, these tactics will be disallowed in the climactic fight of a story unless they have already been employed at least once before.

Called Shots and Stunts - Disabling Unnamed Characters
Called shots and stunts with the attempt to disable unnamed characters are made at no particular penalty. However, as with eliminating an unnamed character, such attacks must result in an Outcome of +5 or more (subject to modifiers based on the attack mode) in order to result in the desired effect.

Called Shots - Disarming
A disarming attack may be made with no penalty, as long as the attack is reasonably described as being of a sort that will cause disarmament. Only weapons can be disarmed; martial artists cannot have their unarmed attack disarmed, nor can a sorcerer have a spell disarmed; doing so requires a stunt and some other manner of attack. On an Outcome of +5 to +7, a weapon is knocked out of the opponent's grasp, provided it is not a signature weapon. On an Outcome of +8 or more, the weapon is also damaged.

Signature weapons can never be damaged by such attacks and can only be knocked out of a character's hand on an Outcome of +8 or more. A signature weapon can never be placed in a situation where it is practically impossible for the owner to retrieve it, i.e. knocked off a cliff or swallowed by a monster. Characters deprived of their signature weapon gain large bonuses, or at least the nullification of any penalties, associated with regaining the weapon.

Eliminating Unnamed Characters - Unconsciousness in Non-humans
When a character achieves an Outcome of +5 or more against an unnamed character, the player has the choice of knocking them unconscious or killing them outright. However, certain types of unnamed characters, usually monsters, cannot be knocked out; they can only be killed or destroyed by such an attack. Effects that specifically protect or reverse certain types of defeat, such as the creature power Inevitable Comeback, will overrule the player's choice in those circumstances.

Firing Two Guns - Attacking Named Characters
For characters that don't have the Two Guns Blazing schtick, they may still elect to fire two guns with pistol grips at once, one in each hand, as a stunt. However, this is simply modeled using the extra damage house rule described earlier and repeated here: the player specifies how much extra damage they wish the attack to do and takes a -1 to AV for every 2 points of extra damage or portion thereof.

Firing Two Guns - Attacking Unnamed Characters
A character who doesn't have the Two Guns Blazing schtick may attack unnamed characters with two guns by making two rolls, each with a -5 to the AV. This is a specific exception to the rule against making multiple attack rolls in one action. A character who does possess the Two Guns Blazing schtick may make the two rolls, but each with a -2 to the AV. Unlike situation when fighting named characters, taking multiple Two Guns Blazing schticks will not improve the AV above -2.
Hand-to-Hand Combat - Punches and Kicks
Rather than having punches and kicks do Strength +1 and +2 damage, respectively, unarmed attacks made when by characters who are holding something, balancing on something, encumbered by something, or who cannot otherwise use their whole body are at Strength +1. Attacks made by unencumbered characters with full freedom of movement are at Strength +2.
Multiple Attacks in One Action
A character who wishes to fire multiple shots in one action must have a weapon that facilitates this, such as a fully-automatic gun. Otherwise, sequential shots or attacks must be performed one action at a time, with the appropriate penalties for snapshots if desired. A character who makes multiple strikes with martial arts in one action is assumed to be making one attack composed of the sum effect of such strikes.

Multiple Attack Rolls in One Action
Unless specifically called for by a special circumstance (as described by the GM), a specific attack (see Firing Two Guns - Attacking Unnamed Characters, above), or a schtick, a character cannot make more than one attack roll in one attack action, even when firing multiple bullets, shooting two guns at once, or engaged in other, similar activities. One attack roll will determine the success or failure of all attacks made in a given action, even if that one roll has to be applied to multiple AVs or Difficulties.

Old, Dark Road, First Session

The first session of Old, Dark Road will begin at 4:00 pm PDT on July 6th with game-play to start no later than 4:30 pm. We will meet in P&PG Chat, and conduct the game using Roll20.

The game will begin with the PCs arriving in the city of Kasugai.

The numbers listed for skills are the AVs, not the skill levels. Players may change their distribution of bonus skill levels at the beginning of the game, if desired. Combat AVs are also shown. Melee AV is equal to Martial Arts, or Agility -3. Ranged AV is equal to Guns or Dexterity -3. Dodge AV is equal to the highest AV among Guns, Martial Arts, Sorcery (if the character knows the Blast schtick), Super-science, or Supernatural Creature Powers.

Old, Dark Road, Second Session

The second session of Old, Dark Road will begin at 4:00 pm PDT on August 3rd with game-play to start no later than 4:30 pm. We will meet in P&PG Chat, and conduct the game using Roll20.

The game will begin with the PCs accompanying Yanagi on a house call.

Post #2 of this thread will be a repository for all Feng Shui house rules that we will employ.

This roster will be edited to show what weapons and equipment each character is carrying on their person as soon as I have the relevant information from all of the players. I don't feel the need to repeat attribute and skill AV information, so I'm no longer listing it. If interested in such, the prior roster remains accurate.

Old, Dark Road, Third Session

The third session of Old, Dark Road will begin at 4:00 pm PDT on August 17th with game-play to start no later than 4:30 pm. We will meet in P&PG Chat, and conduct the game using Roll20. [Re-edited]

The game will begin with as the PCs return to Isawa Onsen Inn for the second time that night.

GOliant Pharmaceuticals
The following is easily obtainable information if any of the PCs engage in an online search for GOliant Pharmaceuticals.

GOliant is one of the biggest companies in Kasugai and the dominant employer in the Ile de Fuefuki. In 1947, Gotozaka Keisuke founded Gotozaka Kusuriya, a small pharmacy in the city's old downtown. After being chosen as the main compounding pharmacy for Isawa Hospital, business took off, and the company was incorporated as Gotozaka Yakkyoku in 1968. Gotozaka retired with a majority share in the company and Takei Jirou took over as president of the firm. In 2009, under the leadership of Gotozaka's grandson, Keiji, the company began to be traded publicly under the name GOliant Pharmaceuticals, though the Gotozaka family still maintains a controlling interest.

Still involved in compounding services, GOliant has also moved into the business of drug development, most notably with Dinelim, an appetite suppressant, and Propemcyline, a new class of broad-spectrum antibiotic. Its cardiomyopathy drug, Nosopan, has begun Phase III clinical trials. Durazepine, a benzodiazepine-based sedative, was recently approved for the same. As of the fiscal year ending in on March 31st, 2013, GOliant had a market capitalization of 3.8 billion yen and a 17% annual growth rate.

In 2003, the company organized the Committee for the Development of Fuefuki Island, which successfully lobbied for the creation of an artificial island out of a permanent sandbar in the middle of the Fuefuki River that ran through Kasugai. In 2007, the island was named Ile de Fuefuki and the company's corporate headquarters and factory were both relocated there from their original homes in the Yamashi neighborhood. Today, Ile de Fuefuki is Kasugai's major business district and second city center with active development spreading to both riverbanks nearby.

Besides its activity in promoting Ile de Fuefuki, GOliant is actively involved with the local community, sponsoring lively floats during parades for the Setsubun and Obon holidays. CEO Gotozaka Keiji is well known as a baseball aficionado whose prized possession is a baseball bat autographed by Nishizawa Michio during his tenure as a player with the Chuunichi Dragons, and the company is the main backer of the Iida Gakuin high school baseball team. The company maintains a consultative presence on many city planning boards, and organizes annual fire safety and anti-littering campaigns culminating in a Keep Kasugai Clean and Safe marathon every spring.

Old, Dark Road, Fourth Session

The fourth session of Old, Dark Road will begin at 4:00 pm PDT on September 28th with game-play to start no later than 4:30 pm. We will meet in P&PG Chat, and conduct the game using Roll20. Due to the difficulty of transferring resources, this adventure will continue to be hosted on Roll20.

The game will begin with the PCs confronting the situation in the Katoyone residence.

Hello! As I implied in the Memories Remain thread... it appears my boss plans on keeping me until 7:30pm (4:30pm to you chilly Seattlers) on Saturdays. So I'll be arriving about 15 minutes late. I don't want to inconvenience anyone, of course. I'll just catch-up when I arrive. Sorry, though!

Experience

Now that the characters have gained a few experience points, it's time to start talking about how they can be used. As expected, experience points are used to gain schticks and skills. They can also be used to increase a character's attributes but doing so requires additional conditions that aren't yet available to the characters, so I'll save that for another time.

Some types of schticks cannot be gained unless characters meet the prerequisites for them. For example, a character has to already be a supernatural creature in order to gain supernatural creature schticks. Other improvements, such as access to sorcery schticks or to new skills, have to be done through "training montages" that tend to occur between stories or at specified intervals.

What the characters can obtain with the adventure are improvements to their current skills and new gun schticks. Also, Daisuke, who has a Chi (and Fu) higher than zero, can learn new fu schticks. The experience point costs are listed below.

New Fu Schtick (must have Chi or Fu higher than zero) - The cost is equal to three plus the number of fu schticks that would be known, so four for the first fu schtick to be learned. (3 + X)

New Gun Schtick - The cost is equal to eight plus the number of gun schticks that would be known, including multiple gun schticks of the same name. (8 + X)

Raise Existing Skill - The skill increases by one. A skill cannot increase above the maximum level the character can reach in that skill. The cost is equal to the AV of the skill after it improves. (1 + current AV)

In practice this means characters don't really have much to spend on at this moment, but that will change as characters gain more experience points.

[Edit - The formula for spending experience is equal to the number of schticks that would be known once the new schtick is obtained, not the number of schticks known up to that point.]

Old, Dark Road, Sixth Session

The sixth session of Old, Dark Road will begin at 4:00 pm PST on Sunday, November 3rd, with game-play to start no later than 4:30 pm. We will meet in P&PG Chat, and conduct the game using Roll20. Please note the return to Standard Time on that date.

The game will begin with as the PCs prepare to meet with Nakamura Soun in Delivery Bay Two of the compounding plant for GOliant Pharmaceuticals on the Ile de Fuefuki.

Hey, everyone! Even though we're on the cusp of the next FS session, I thought I'd post a little catch-up so we can start off all on the same page (and maybe even with a plan of action in mind). At the end of last session, Palpatim and I had hesitantly agreed upon the lab tech, Hitome, setting up a meeting with CEO Gotozaka Keiji. This was simply the most readily-available course of action at the time, and we haven't had much luck with ambushes. But if anyone has another plan or feels a stealth-bombing of the Nosopan factory would be satisfactory, I think we are still open to suggestions!

We may also get some ideas when we find out what Hitome tells Yasu on their little outing. Meanwhile, Daisuke, Hideki and Easton-eii should figure out what they're going to do with Nakamura Soun, who is currently cowering from them. There's a chance he could tip off Gotozaka... but would that be a problem if we're just going to meet with him, anyway? He could always go the way of the "Mercedes-Trunk Gang" for now.